Intel gathering

TThe Army's Latest Spy Planes Are Flying Hundreds of Hours Overseashe Army's Latest Spy Planes Are Flying Hundreds of Hours Overseas

Three of the four versions of the U.S. Army’s latest spy plane, the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System, or EMARSS, are now flying hundreds of hours a month over Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Central Asia. The service says the full fleetshould be ready for aerial intelligence units by the middle of 2018.

As of Oct. 19, 2017, the geo-intelligence, signals intelligence, and Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar (VADER) versions were operating in the regions of the globe were U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Southern Command oversee U.S. military activities, according to the Army’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors, which manages the program. In March 2017, just the signal snooping type was conducting missions in Africa and Latin America.